Summer Sports Survival with BODYARMOR

* This post is sponsored by BODYARMOR and I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign as part of the Mom It Forward Influencer Network. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s summertime here in Western NY, and that means pretty much one thing – SPORTS! Whether it’s a horse show or volleyball clinics with my older daughter, or swimming lessons/practice with my younger daughter, summertime is full of practicing, competing, or getting ready for fall tryouts, which are right around the corner. We are almost as busy as if school never stopped!

With all that running around (in the heat no less), I have to be super prepared. Here’s my survival kit for staying sane and healthy as a sports mom during the summer!

1. Sunscreen – Whether we are practicing at an outdoor pool, or spending a day in the sun at the riding arena, sunscreen keeps us from being really sorry the next day!

2. Sports gear packing list – I could do a whole SERIES of blog posts on what we pack for swimming and horse shows, but my best trick of the trade is keeping a list stored on my computer. Then, when it’s time to pack, I just edit as needed, print and hand out copies. Every one does their part to help us get ready, and loaded. For practices, we keep a bin in our laundry room for all sports bags and equipment, so nothing gets left behind.

3. Snacks – Horse show, volleyball tournaments, and swim schedules are crazy. Especially at horse shows, we often find ourselves missing lunch periods. Healthy snacks are important to keep us going throughout the day, so I always try to make sure I have something on hand.

4. A camera, or portable charger for my cell phone – I try to be better at taking pictures, but a lot of times I’m busy helping out. I try to at least make sure I grab some shots on my cell phone, which requires extra charging!

5. Hydration – Even more important than snacks is keeping my daughters properly hydrated. Swimmers, equestrians, and volleyball players are athletes. When my daughter are riding, they use A LOT of muscle, balance, and coordination – all in the summer sun. Even though my younger daughter swims, she is still using a TON of muscle energy – and it’s easy to forget to hydrate because even though you are in the water, you still have to drink. If she does not keep adequately hydrated, she gets headaches and does not perform her best. And while she will drink water, she definitely prefers sports drink. But often times, I hate to give traditional sports drinks to her due to the artificial flavors and sweeteners in them.

That’s why we LOVE BODYARMOR! BODYARMOR is a premium sports drink with potassium-packed electrolytes, coconut water and vitamins – and it has no artificial flavors or sweeteners so I can feel good about giving it to my kids. It is low in sodium as well, and comes in awesome flavors that my kids love (our favorites are fruit punch, strawberry banana, and tropical punch). For me, I really enjoy BODYARMOR LYTE, which has all the same nutrients as BODYARMOR and only 20 calories per serving – which is perfect for after the gym. I usually give the kids regular BODYARMOR as they are working HARD when they compete!

If your young athlete works as hard as mine do, and like the other young superstar athletes that drink BODYARMOR, like James Harden, Mike Trout, Dustin Johnson, Andrew Luck, Richard Sherman, Dez Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Buster Posey, Skylar Diggins and several others, make sure to check out how YOUR young athlete can become the next BODYARMOR athlete!

I also love BODYARMOR because it’s really easy to find – I get it at Tops or Wegmans, depending on where I’m doing my grocery shopping that week. You can check out where you can buy BODYARMOR in your area here. Plus, click to get an awesome BODYARMOR coupon!

Tell us about the young athlete in your life in the comments, and how BODYARMOR could help you and your family!

I never knew that BodyArmor…I always thought it was a fitness line of clothing and other related products. Since my boys are constantly on the go this summer, I will have to pick up some BodyArmor for them to try!

My boys are so much into basketball lately and I love that they have something to keep them busy and active during the summer. I want to make sure that they’re hydrated all the time though, and Bodyarmor sounds amazing! I should totally get this for them to bring during games and practices!

All my kids were involved in sports when they were still in school. My daughter did dance and volleyball. My two sons played baseball. I always reminded them to drink up every chance they can during practice. It is important that they do not only replace the water lost through sweat, but the electrolytes as well. Athletes today are lucky to have BodyArmor!

My Son is 14 and a Cross Country and Track Runner. We live in Texas and he runs between 5-15 miles a day in the Texas Heat and Humidity! One day a fellow runner noticed he was not pouring sweat during practice meaning he was dehydrated. I was dumbfounded because he drinks SO MUCH WATER, but water wasn’t enough. After some research, I was turned on to Body Armore and he now drinks on daily after his workout along with his water intake and no longer suffers from dehydration issues! Body Armore is a MUST for my Runner!!

I’ve learned to hydrate myself the hard way! I almost fainted one time and the reason was dehydration, lesson learned. Now I keep a bottle of water or juice to sip on even when on short trips. I never heard of this brand before, but I would love to give it a try.

Need to check out this drink. I am looking for something that can help when I’m exercising. I usually drink water but I know I need to have something with a little bit more “meat on the bones” so to speak.

These are all fantastic tips and often ones that we forget! My husband coaches baseball and I think the most important one is hydration. Kids sweat so much and with the heat, they lose so much water. Parents are always forgetting the water (so easy to do when you’re rushing out the door!). So we always pack extra water for the kids who need it!